Ritz was first elected in 1997 and thanked the voters in his constituency for re-electing him.

“I also want to thank my colleagues in both the House and the Senate, as well as the civil service,” he said. “I also want to thank all of the staff with whom I had the pleasure of working in my capacity as Member of Parliament and as the Minister of Agriculture. They have all proved themselves to be exceptional people, with the best interest of our great country Canada at heart.”